Yoga Retreat In Borneo

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Borneo                   

Yoga in the rainforest

Nuluhon Garden Retreat Center is a fantastic place situated on the northern part of Borneo. Embraced by the rainforest and infused with a calm and peacefulness that deeply effects your mind, Nuluhon is the perfect place for yoga and meditation practice. Nuluhon is run by Shone and his wife Kathie along with Shones parents and family, helping out when needed.

During this trip you will enjoy:
- Long and wonderful yoga classes every morning and evening
- Meditation with guidance
- Deliciuos vegetarian meals
- Accommodation at a retreat center in the middle of the rainforest
- Workshops on health, yoga history and meditation practice
- Traditional Borneo massage
- Excursions to waterfall and a culture village

As an option you can extend the stay with a week including three days on a fantastic paradise island.

If you take the little winding path behind the house, and follow the path for a few minutes, you end up at a some verynatural looking pools and a small waterfall that melts into the nature. Thats a perfect place to go for a dip when the day gets too hot.

At Nuluhon you also share your time with a couple of cats and three roosters along with their hens. Big beautiful butterflies fly by when we do yoga at Nuluhon.

The rooms are either four beds, double beds or single rooms. A few of the rooms are build in traditional Malaysian style. Nuluhon is on top of a hill, so as we do yoga, we look out over a valley of rainforest and it feels like you are in a big tree house. Day and night you hear the sounds from the many birds and insects.

Stay a week extra...

For those that think it is very far to go all the way to Borneo and just stay one week, there is an opportunity to stay one week extra. In that week there are no workshops or yoga sessions, this is just your own time.

During this week you have a chance to go for a three day tour to a little paradise island just outside the cost of Borneo. The island is called Mantanani and is made of coral beaches surrounded by a  turquoise blue sea. We stay in houses with stilts just by the beach, so when you go to bed at night the sound of the waves lulls you to sleep.

There are possibilities around the island for diving and snorkeling and even night time snorkeling. To get to the island, we travel by bus up the coast from Kota Kinabalu for about an hour until we arrive at a small jetty. From there we take a speedboat for 45 minutes out to the island where we are welcomed by the warm and friendly young staff at Mantanani.

We stay at the island for three days and two nights, from March 4-6. The price includes journey, accommodation, some of the snorkeling and food.

The preliminary price for this extra trip is 250 EUR. When we return from Mantanani, you can stay at Nuluhon Garden Retreat Center until March 10. We would very much like to see that if you stay extra, you stay the whole week.

From Nuluhon, you can do tours into Kota Kinabalu or other places nearby or you can just stay at this wonderful retreat and enjoy the peace and quietude that Nuluhon Garden offers. An extra night at Nuluhon costs 45 EUR and that is with breakfast, lunch and dinner included. The Retreat Center is situated about 30 minutes by car from town. A taxi costs around 15 USD.

Your hostess and yoga teacher 

On this trip you will be guided in yoga and meditation by Didi, and she will also be the tour leader.
Read about Didi here >>

Yoga

Every day you participate in a 90 to 120 minute yoga session both morning and evening. The yoga sessions include movements (asanas), yoga dance, self massage, meditation and guided deep relaxation.

Yoga means to unite. In the west, for the last couple of years, we have seen yoga literally explode and you can find almost more yoga teachers than yoga practitioners in the big cities around the world today. Unfortunately, we have peeled off a lot of what is actually yoga and embraced only a very small part of yoga which suited our society, culture and mindset.

But yoga does not only consist of a number of physical postures and is not only a physical and mental practice. Yoga is a way of relating to life. Yoga is 24 hours a day. Yoga is about becoming a conscious human being.

The final goal of yoga is to experience oneself as part of everything and in no way separated from the rest of creation. In that state, you experience infinite happiness, total stillness and you know that you are unconditionally loved, always.

The trip is focused on both body, mind and soul through good, healthy food and detox, physical yoga postures, meditation and chanting, deep relaxation and personal self reflection.

The yoga we practice on the trips is called Rajadhiraja Yoga and is sometimes called Ashtaungika Tantrika Yoga. It is based in Patanjalis system of Ashtaunga Yoga.

Ashtaunga yoga means eight limbs of yoga and includes ethical guidelines (yama and niyama), physical postures (asanas),  withdrawal techniques of the mind, concentration practices, breath exercises, dhyan (deep meditation) and also a practice of complete enlightenment.

The poses are similar to those that are practiced in Hatha yoga, Raja yoga, Iyengar yoga and other styles of yoga. The difference in Rajadhiraja yoga is that the poses are repeated several times, usually for four or eight times and that you hold your breath for about eight seconds in each pose.

This makes the asana work deep on nerves and glands and leads to a release of energy which makes you feel relaxed, calm and at the same time filled with lots of energy after a yoga session. It also creates an effect that stays with you, long after the yoga session is over. In Rajadhiraja yoga the practice is calm and contemplative and gives you more energy and increased consciousness.

Every session is always concluded with a self massage which work to help the lymphatic flow in our bodies. During asana practice our sebaceous glands produce a fine secretion, this is very beneficial to gently rub back into the skin. It is also just a beautiful thing to get in touch with every part of your body after a session.

Meditation

During the week you will be gradually introduced to meditation practice. If you are already an experienced meditator, there will be time for your own practices as well. We also offer personal meditation guidance by experienced meditation teachers. To practice meditation leads to a state of calmness, peacefulness and well being. But most of all it is a journey towards our own deepest self and the infinite aspect of ourself that we can find hidden deep within our innermost self.

Workshops

During the week there will be a few workshops to give you a deeper understanding in yoga, meditation, yogic diet, detox and healthy eating as well as in the Enneagram. In the yoga workshop we look at the history of yoga, what does yoga really mean and what are its foundations. You get a deeper understanding of your mind and the goal of meditation in the meditation workshop. You come to understand how your mind works and how you can use it in your meditation practice.

Through the workshop on yogic diet and detox you get a chance on reflecting on your diet and get some tips for healthy eating for both body and mind. The Ennagram workshop gives you an introduction to The Enneagram and a deeper understanding of others that helps you deal with yourself and others in a better and more compassionate way.



Food and helth
We use mostly locally produced and organic food. The diet on Joyful Journeys trips is always a yogic diet, or a sattvic diet. We combine this with a lighter version of a detox diet. All food is vegetarian. We are striving to give you a wonderful taste experience at each meal.

ayurveda for Day and Night

India's ancient system of medicine offers simple practices you can do to balance your energy and boost your health.

By Shannon Sexton

If waking up is a struggle, midday finds you crashing, and you're restless and alert at bedtime, it may be time to reset your clock. According to Ayurveda, yoga's 5,000-year-old sister science, one of the keys to good health and feeling great all day long is living in tune with nature's cycles. Literally and energetically, that means rising and setting with the sun. To help you align your system more closely with the cycles of nature, Ayurvedic tradition recommends a routine of morning and nighttime practices collectively known as dinacharya. These rituals are designed to give you calm, focused, sustainable energy to support meditation, yoga, and everything you do throughout the day.

"When I do my dinacharya, there's a sense that I'm taking really good care of me," says Kathryn Templeton, founder of the Himalayan Institute's Ayurvedic yoga specialist training program and an Ayurvedic practitioner in New Haven, Connecticut. "My ability to meditate, teach, parent, and practice feels steadier and easier. And I experience more peace of mind."

To get back in sync, make over your daily routine with the simple Ayurvedic practices. The morning practices are cleansing and energizing; they'll infuse you with a calm sense of presence. The evening ones will help you wind down for a restful sleep. Movement, such as yoga asana, and meditation are also essential to dinacharya. Consider incorporating asana before breakfast and meditation in the morning and evening.

Choose one or two of these practices to start, and after a week, take note of your energy level and mood. Then add a few more and repeat the observation process. Over time, these practices may become as routine as brushing your teeth.

Shine: Ayurvedic Tips for the Morning

1. Rise

According to Ayurveda, the predawn hours are dominated by vata dosha, a subtle energy that actually makes it easier ;to get out of bed. Waking before sunrise fills you with vibrant energy for the rest of the day. On the other hand, if you wake up after sunrise, a time dominated by kapha's heavy, earthy energy, you're likely to feel sluggish. Predawn is also considered an auspicious time of day because its atmosphere is still and quiet, making it easier to turn inward and meditate, says Templeton.

2. Rinse

To flush out any germs, pollen, dust, or congestion that have accumulated overnight, try jala neti, a nasal cleansing technique that rinses the sinuses with warm saline with the aid of a teapot-like vessel called a neti pot. Jala neti is a nice prelude to a morning pranayama or meditation practice. According to yoga tradition, it equalizes the flow of breath between the nostrils and balances the ida and pingala nadis—two energy channels that pave the way for inner exploration.

Pour a cup of warm water (sterilized or distilled) into a neti pot. Add 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized salt (kosher or sea salt), stirring until it dissolves. Insert the spout into your left nostril, lean over the sink, and tilt your head slightly to the right so the water flows through the sinus passages and out of the right nostril. Gently blow your nose and repeat on the other side. (Watch a video demonstrationhere.) When you're finished, lie on your back, tilt your head back, and put a few drops of warm sesame oil or ghee (clarified butter) in your nostrils.

3. Cleanse

Ayurveda recommends a practice called tongue scraping to remove the coating that appears overnight, which contains ama, or toxins, said to eventually cause illness. Using a tongue scraper, gently comb your tongue from back to front several times. Rinse the scraper between sessions. Doing this before you brush your teeth is thought to stimulate the digestive response and get your body thinking about its first meal.

4. Sip

Before you brush your teeth, eat, or drink coffee, mix the juice of half a lemon in a cup of warm water (with an optional pinch of rock salt and 1/2 teaspoon of honey), and drink up. According to Valencia Porter, MD, director of integrative medicine at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California, this drink flushes the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract and stimulates youragni (digestive fire) so you're ready to metabolize breakfast.

5. Massage

According to Ayurveda, massaging your body with warm, pure oils promotes detoxification and moisturizes skin—especially in the drier fall and winter months. It also stimulates circulation and quiets the nervous system. Treat yourself to a 10-minute abhyanga, traditionally performed in the morning.

Porter suggests standing on a towel in your bathroom with warmed, organic, cold-pressed sesame oil at the ready. Using circular strokes, begin with your scalp, followed by your face and neck. Apply oil to your palms as needed, and work your way down one shoulder, arm, wrist, and hand, using long, up-and-down strokes along your limbs and circular strokes on your joints. Repeat on the other side.

Massage your chest and back, and then gently massage your abdomen in a clockwise direction. Rub your hips in a circular motion, and massage one leg at a time, using long strokes on your leg bones and circular strokes on the joints. If you have time, relax and let the oil soak in for 10 to 20 minutes. Then, standing on a wet towel in the shower to prevent slipping, scrub off with a mild cleanser. (Don't want to put oil on your scalp or face? You can use your dry fingertips instead.)

Unwind: Ayurvedic Tips for Nighttime

1. Dim

As the sun goes down, lower the lights in your home to signal to body and mind that the frenetic pace of the day's activities is coming to an end—and that it's time to stop being "on." According to modern Ayurvedic experts like Porter, that means minimizing screen time on your electronic devices for at least an hour before bed, too. Wind down by reading something uplifting or spending time with your family or friends.

2. Infuse

As night falls, light a stick of incense or a sandalwood and vanilla candle. Or add a few drops of these aromas, in the form of essential oils, to a warm bath. From an Ayurvedic perspective, says Porter, these scents have a calming, balancing, grounding effect. "When we consistently associate these aromas with a particular state of being, such as relaxation, we create a memory in the brain," she says. "The next time we breathe in these aromas, our neurophysiology remembers that state of relaxation."

3. Soothe

"There are several marma points, or Ayurvedic pressure points, on the foot that correspond to the entire body," says Hilary Garivaltis, dean of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. "Doing a foot massage, you can relax the entire body in just a few minutes."

Wash and dry your feet. Apply warmed, organic, cold-pressed sesame oil to one foot at a time, using your palms to rub the sole from heel to toe in small circular motions. Repeat on the top of the foot. Massage the ankle, followed by the sides of the foot. Interlace your fingers between your toes, gently push the foot to flex and point, and make clockwise and counterclockwise circles. Beginning with the little toe, rub each toe gently, and apply a little pressure in the webbing. Finally, pull each toe slightly, and put on clean cotton socks to sleep in.

4. Savor

Before bed, heat a cup of organic whole milk until it boils. Add a pinch of ground cardamom, nutmeg (spices that, in Ayurveda, are said to promote sleep), and cinnamon (to aid digestion). Let it cool a bit and add honey to taste. Warm whole milk is used in Ayurveda as an insomnia remedy. Don't drink milk? Sip chamomile, valerian, or lemon balm tea.

5. Breathe

To calm yourself for sleep, or before you sit for evening meditation, spend a few minutes doing Nadi Shodhana (also known as alternate nostril breathing). This cleansing breath practice calms the nervous system and, on a more subtle level, opens and balances the sushumna nadi, an energy channel that quiets and steadies the mind.

Place your right thumb over your right nostril to close the airway. Inhale through the left nostril, and then use your ring finger to close off the left nostril. Lift your thumb, and exhale out of the right nostril. Breathing in through the right nostril and putting your thumb over your right nostril again, exhale out of your left nostril. This completes a single round; try to do 5 to 10 rounds per sitting. "This practice helps you transition from activity to stillness," relaxing the body and mind, Porter says. (Watch a demonstration of Nadi Shodhana here.)

Shannon Sexton is a regular contributor to Yoga Journal. Her poems and creative nonfiction have been anthologized in five books including the series Stories from Where We Live.

Half Moon Pose

Arda Chandrasana | arda = half; chandra = moon; asana = pose

By Nikki Costello

Named after the moon, the standing balance Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) invites you to tap into both the calm, balancing energy of the moon and the fiery force of the sun. In this pose, you discover how the coming together of two opposing energies generates a power that is greater than its separate parts.

In Half Moon Pose, two opposing movements are happening at once: You are rooting down into the earth with your standing leg while simultaneously lifting and extending your raised leg into space. The meeting of these two forces—rooting down and extending out—gives you the power to balance and suspend your spine and torso in midair. The pose teaches coordination and can help you understand the interdependence of the actions in your body. It can train you to stay focused and balanced during challenging moments of transition in asana practice.

Half Moon Pose can also help you develop strong legs and open hips. Many people have one leg that's dominant and one that's weaker, which can lead to postural imbalances. By learning to stand on one leg at a time in Half Moon Pose, you begin to strengthen both legs evenly. The standing leg is strengthened as it bears the weight of the body, with the outer thigh muscles engaging strongly. Meanwhile, the raised leg must work to stay suspended and parallel to the floor, requiring you to engage and lift from the inner thigh muscles and extend through the heel. Each leg gets toned as it does its individual task.

The key to lifting up into Half Moon Pose is to bring the individual work of both your legs into simultaneous action. The movement originates with the weight shift (see Step 1), which takes the weight of the torso forward over the standing leg and front arm and helps to develop more steadiness when you lift into the pose.

Start by bending your standing leg without lifting the back leg off the floor. Use your whole arm for balance as well, moving the weight of your body forward so it is directly over your front hand and foot. Stay there for a few breaths, allowing the intensity to build in the standing leg until you start to feel solid and stable. Then, press down through the ball and heel of the foot as you direct the center of your kneecap toward the toes. Be sure to turn and open the outer thigh enough to maintain that direction of the knee; otherwise, you may start to waver and lose your balance. Lastly, keep your leg steady as you revolve the shoulders, chest, and abdomen upward.

Half Moon Pose calls for openness in the pelvis and chest. Using the wall for support (see Step 2) will give you a chance to explore this expansion more completely and experience a full opening. While still actively engaging the standing leg, you are able to use less effort to raise the lifted leg higher because the wall is there to hold you. Extend and stretch both legs and arms, and then turn your abdomen and chest upward. Don't fall back or collapse onto the wall, but use it to sense how much you can open. You may only need to have the back of the raised heel against the wall.

In Half Moon Pose, you are bringing together opposing energies. To do this requires coordination. As you raise the lifted leg, straighten the standing leg at the same speed. Practice rising and descending simultaneously. Work strongly in both directions: Press down as you lift up and reach out. Keep pressing down and keep reaching out. Stay with it and you may come to a moment when you feel you are suspended in the air, balancing with ease. Explore how much you are able to free the chest and turn the trunk open without losing your stability.

As you practice Half Moon Pose, hold the image of the moon rising with grace and ease from the horizon. Allow the coolness of its rays to suffuse your mind in a cool, calm, and steady balance.

Tune in to the Moon

The soothing energy of the moon is as necessary in our lives as the sun's heat and light. When you need drive and determination, you tap into sun energy. At other times, calming lunar energy is a more balanced response to circumstances. The practice is learning when to employ each: when to cool down ambition, and when to turn up the heat.

Step 1: Half Moon Pose, Preparation

Get grounded for liftoff by shifting your weight forward.

Set It Up

1. Stand with your feet together.
2. Jump your legs wide apart, and extend your arms to a T position.
3. Turn your left foot slightly inward and your right foot and leg outward.
4. Exhale, and bend your torso to the side, bringing your right hand to your shin and your left hand to your hip.
5. Begin to bend your right knee and shift your right hand forward, placing it a little to the outside of your foot.

Refine: Bend the front leg a little deeper and let your left foot glide along the floor behind you. Continue to move forward until your armpit and shoulder are directly over your wrist. Keep the right hand cupped and the elbow fully extended to strengthen the fingers, wrists, and arms. Keep your right leg bent and your kneecap pointed toward the toes, with your left foot just barely touching the floor.

Finish: To establish steadiness, press down through the right foot and fingertips. Maintain a strong base and turn the chest upward until the left shoulder is directly over the right one. Explore this turning motion without letting the standing leg or arm waver from the grounding action.

Step 2: Half Moon Pose, Supported Variation

With support, learn to fully open your hips and chest.

Set It Up:

1. Stand with your back against a wall and set yourself up as you did in Step 1.
2. Place a block on the floor in front of your right foot.
3. Exhale, and bend to the right side, reaching your right hand to the block as you lift your left leg up.
4. Extend your left arm upward. Allow your left foot and hip and your head to rest against the wall.

Refine: Keep the right foot firmly planted, pressing through the heel and the big-toe mound. Firm the right leg, lifting the knee and pulling up the thigh. Press the left heel to the wall, and keep lifting the inner left leg from the upper thigh to the inner heel.

Finish: To widen the pelvis, lift the left side of your pelvis and revolve your abdomen and chest. Reach your left arm up along the wall, and widen your chest and collarbones. Extend your torso horizontally: lengthen the front of the body from your pubic bone toward the head and reach back with the inner left leg. Recognize the freedom and openness that come with support. Breathe smoothly and evenly.

Final Pose: Half Moon Pose

Set It Up

1. Set yourself up as you did in Step 1.
2. Exhale, and bend your torso to the right, bringing your right hand to the floor. Reach your left arm upward.
3. Bending your right knee, move your right arm and left leg to shift your weight forward.
4. Simultaneously lift the left leg as you straighten the right one.

Refine: Press down into the foot of the standing leg, especially the inner foot. Lift the outer thigh from the knee to the hip. Keep moving the outer hip deeper toward the midline of your body as you firm and lift the inner thigh of the raised leg. Keep lifting this leg until the raised side of the pelvis is directly over the underside. Extend the raised leg from the pelvis to the heel. With the elbow still bent, roll the shoulder back until the chest begins to turn upward as well.

Finish: Continue to turn the abdomen, and then extend the arm fully. Spread the collarbones and expand the chest. Breathe evenly and find balance.

Optimize Your Pose

Explore these modifications of Half Moon Pose:

Challenge your balance: Turn the abdomen and trunk upward, and then slowly turn your head to look at the raised hand.

Strengthen your legs: In the final pose, repeat the coordinated leg action several times by lifting up into the pose and lowering down.

Ease your lower back: While using the wall for support, rest the raised foot on a table. Extend the top arm alongside the raised leg.

Stabilize your shoulders: Extend the top arm along the torso as you roll both shoulders back and broaden your collarbones.

Elements Of Practice

How do you connect your yoga practice to what you do in your daily life? Your daily activities appear to stop and start with a clear beginning and end, giving you a compartmentalized experience of life. However, your awareness can be continuous. When you stay connected and present as you move from one thing to the next, you are practicing yoga in action. If you lose your balance and fall in a pose like Half Moon Pose, it calls your attention to refocusing and reconnecting with your breath. It's the same way in daily life: When you get distracted, come back to your breath and to the present moment.

Watch a video demonstration of this pose.

Nikki Costello is a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher living in New York City.

August 2013

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